NOVEMBER 1 — Cinema’s first James Bond Sean Connery brought his distinctive Scottish twang to a wide range of roles, from gangster epics to classic Hitchcock psychodrama.

Here are five of his most memorable screen appearances.

‘Dr. No’ (1962)

In the first screen outing for British agent James Bond, Connery mixed macho toughness, good manners and grace for a role he would hold in seven films all told — six official and one made outside the franchise.

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In this adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of another agent, leading him to the reclusive scientist Dr. No whose sinister black metal hands are capable of potentially deadly strength.

‘Marnie’ (1964)

Made at the height of Alfred Hitchcock’s fame and helping to expand Connery’s repertoire and raise his profile beyond 007, this suspense drama focused on Tippi Hedren as Connery’s troubled young bride Marnie whose spiralling psychological state takes them on a disturbing path back to the source of all her problems — her mother.

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‘The Name of the Rose’ (1986)

In a role that earned him a British BAFTA, Connery donned a long-hooded robe for this adaptation of Umberto Eco’s first and blockbuster novel about a monk in 14th-century Italy who investigates, with the nous of Sherlock Holmes, a mysterious death in his Abbey, assisted by a novice played by budding newcomer Christian Slater.

‘The Untouchables’ (1987)

Brian De Palma’s tour de force about gangsterism during the Great Depression would bring Connery an Oscar and Golden Globe. He stars alongside Kevin Costner as an FBI agent who handpicks him, an embittered veteran officer, to form part of the “Untouchables” team that tracks down the notorious Al Capone, played with sinister brilliance by Robert de Niro.

‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)

As the father of Harrison Ford’s adored adventurer Indiana Jones, Connery provided a comical touch to Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning third instalment of the franchise.

Naive and unprepared for his son’s action-packed life, a show-stealing Connery is kidnapped by Nazis, forcing Indiana to overcome a run of booby traps and crate-loads of snakes to save him. — AFP Relaxnews